Persona 4: The Fool
by Icewind Alchemist
Summary: The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims. Retelling of Persona 4 with a female protagonist. No pairings decided at the moment.
1. An Invitation

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"  
****Author: **Icewind Alchemist  
**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Persona 4 the game, anime, or manga. The only thing I've created is the protagonist.  
**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.  
**Before I begin… **Looking back on the prologue, I realized it was really boring and not engaging. So rather than keep it, I'm skipping the first visit to the Velvet Room. It will be mentioned in this chapter, but the scene will be gone.

So, since the prologue's been deleted, here's the info for new readers. Rather than wait around for Atlus to maybe have a P4 game with a female protagonist, I've made my own. This story follows the game, but will borrow a little from the anime and manga while I add my own changes and twists. It will be told in first-person present-tense and at the moment I have no plans for pairings so don't bug me about it.

Now onwards!

_**==+O+==**_

_Invitation_

_**==+O+==**_

_April 11, 2011_

Shortly after waking up from the strangest dream – _A blue limousine, fog outside, an old man with a long nose, huge eyes, and an odd smile, his beautiful assistant with cool gold eyes and a huge book resting in her lap _– I'm greeted by a metallic announcement.

"Attention, passengers. We will be arriving in the Yasoinaba station in a few minutes."

Thank God I woke up. I don't want to think about the hassle I would have to go through if I missed my stop. That's the last thing my parents want to hear as they're boarding the plane; their daughter couldn't even follow the simplest instructions. And my uncle, whom I'm staying with for a year while they're working overseas, would have to go farther than planned to pick me up, since this is the last train going through Yasoinaba.

Before I gather my things, I take a quick look over my appearance with the help of a compact mirror, my mother's words echoing in my head ("You can't approach people looking like that, Rin. Especially when you're meeting them for the first time. Fix yourself up so you at least look presentable. There, doesn't that look better?"). My hair slipped out of its ponytail while I was sleeping, so I fix it back and make sure to tie my red ribbon tighter.

After smoothing out my clothes, I grab my bag and make my way to the doors as the train begins to stop.

No one else besides me gets off once the train arrives at Yasoinaba station. Dark clouds gather in the sky, a sign of rain. I pull my dark slate jacket tighter around my body to protect against the chill while regretting my choice of a skirt rather than pants. My eyes search the mostly deserted train station. It shouldn't be too hard to find my uncle with no one else to sort through.

"Over here!" I head in the direction of the call, meeting with a middle-aged man with short, dark hair and stubble. A little girl with brown pigtails stands beside him. She looks down as I approach.

My uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, holds out a hand. His grip on mine as we shake is firm. "You certainly take after your mother." He comments, wearing a welcoming smile. "Not that it's a bad thing."

I know what he means. My parents' friends would often mention how much I looked like my mother, who was supposedly beautiful when she was my age. I could see the resemblance between us when I look at photos of her from years ago. We shared the same round face, narrow eyes, and light skin. Were it not for the color of my eyes and hair, both dark violet, and the way I wore my hair, I would look more like a younger sister than a daughter.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Awkwardness begins to creep into the atmosphere. My mother rarely talked about her family, especially her brother. I thought it was because of a falling out, but she was the one who suggested I stay with him while she and my father worked overseas for the year. This is the first time I've met any family on her side and all I know about him is his name and that he's a widower with a child.

Dojima, who's probably also looking for a way to break the ice, nudges the girl next to him forward. "This here's my daughter." He says to me before turning his attention to her. "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

Nanako looks up at me with large brown eyes, not too different from a puppy's. She meets my eyes before looking down again. "…'lo." She greets me with a quiet voice before going behind Dojima again to hide her red face.

Dojima chuckles, apparently finding this amusing. "What're you so shy for?"

He's rewarded with a smack from his embarrassed daughter. Despite the pain, he still laughs a bit. "Well then, let's get going."

The three of us climb into Dojima's car, me in the back and Nanako in the front, and leave the station. None of us talk much, so I stare out the window as we drive, observing the town I'll be living in until a year from now. It's small and quiet, especially compared to the city. Not many people are out, probably because of the rain coming soon. Buildings that look like they've been around for awhile group together, but occasionally they're next to one that was built more recently. We stop at one of them, a gas station, when Nanako tells Dojima she has to use the bathroom.

As one of the attendants greets us, Dojima turns to Nanako. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" He asks as we get out of the car.

"Uh-huh." Nanako answers. She begins to head to the bathrooms when the attendant gives her directions, to which she reacts with annoyance.

The attendant looks over at me. "Are you taking a trip?" He asks Dojima, still looking at me.

"No, we just went to pick her up. She just moved here from the big city and is staying with us for a bit."

The attendant's lips formed a smile. "The city, huh?"

Dojima gave the attendant instructions for gas before walking away to take a smoke break. I take the chance to stretch my arms and legs while I wait.

"Are you in high school?" The attendant asks. I head over to where he's filling the tank. No harm in small talk. Besides, it passes time.

"I'll be a second-year starting tomorrow." It's gotten cooler. Why did I choose a skirt again? The stockings underneath do little to protect me from the temperature. Pants would've been warmer.

The attendant smiles wryly. "You can guess there's not much to do around here, so I'm sure a city kid like you'll get bored fast. Either you'll be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs." He finishes filling up Dojima's car and walks over to me.

This is the first time I get a good look at him. His pale skin and hair are a huge contrast to the bright orange and yellow uniform he wears. Dark eyes look straight into mine. "Speaking of jobs, we're actually looking for some part-time help right now, if you're interested." He holds out a hand. "Why don't you give it some thought? Students are welcome to apply."

"I'll think about it." I grasp his hand. It's ice cold.

The attendant gives my hand a squeeze before letting go. "I should get back to work. Don't forget what I said." He says before walking off.

I suddenly feel dizzy and my head begins to throb. I pinch my nose bridge to see if that will help. It doesn't.

"Are you okay?" Nanako, back from the bathroom, looks at me and frowns. "You don't look too good."

"I think I'm a bit carsick." I murmur. The long trip must've made me exhausted. "Don't worry, I don't feel nauseous."

Once Dojima comes back, checking me over when Nanako tells him what happened to me, we drive to the house. By the time we arrive it's gotten late and rain begins to fall.

The Dojimas walk inside the house while I pause outside. It's on the small side and a bit old-fashioned, what my mom would call "cozy." Not that I'm complaining; my family's moved around so much that I never grew attached to a house. As long as it provides the necessities, I could care less.

Inside is a different matter. Where the places I've lived in were kept clean and orderly, there's organized chaos here. A few books, newspapers, and what looks like Nanako's drawings are scattered on the tables in the kitchen and the living room, which Dojima sweeps clean before getting dinner set out. It's not messy, but if Mom saw it she would drop whatever she was doing to bring order.

The three of us sit around the table in the living room and, after a quick toast, we start eating while Dojima makes small talk, asking about my parents. "It's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone around." He comments. "So long as you're here, you're part of the family. So make yourself at home."

"I'll do that." The dizziness from earlier hasn't completely gone away, so I'm not feeling very talkative. But I soon don't have to worry about trying to stay attentive when Dojima's phone rings. He grumbles, but answers it.

"Dojima speaking." He pauses, listening, before standing up and walking away from the table. "…Yeah? I see… So where is it?" Another pause, then a sigh. "Alright, I'm on it." He hangs up and mutters "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze."

Dojima turns to me and Nanako. "Sorry, but I got to take care of some business." He explains, clearly not happy about the turn of events. "Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you'll help her out, okay?"

"Okay." Nanako confirms, looking disappointed. Dojima leaves after a quick exchange between him and Nanako about the laundry.

The two of us sit back down to eat, neither of us speaking. Unable to stand the silence, Nanako turns on the TV. It's currently showing the news, which is still focusing on the scandal between city council secretary Taro Namatame and news reporter Mayumi Yamano, as well as Namatame's wife and enka ballad singer Misuzu Hiiragi. I've already heard an earful of the gossip on the train, so I try talking with Nanako instead.

"What does your dad do?" Mom told me little about Dojima, besides his relation to her and that he's a widower.

"My dad's a detective." Nanako explains. "He investigates stuff, like crime scenes."

So we're in the same boat, huh? Dojima may be around for Nanako more than my own parents are, but he still has work that pulls him away from Nanako. I'm starting to feel sympathy for her; I'm used to being alone, but she's young. And with her mother gone, Dojima's the only family she has. I guess there's me as well, but we've just met. That's not what I'd quite call family. Anyways, it must be hard for her to stay in the house alone.

A commercial for Junes, a department store, pops up. This cheers Nanako up in an instant as she sings along with its jingle. Okay, maybe she's better at finding ways to entertain herself than I thought.

We finish up dinner, clean up (storing Dojima's dinner in the fridge for later), and Nanako leads me to my room. It's small and bare, decorated with a shelf, couch, and a TV. The boxes containing my belongings, which were shipped here before I arrived, fill the floor. I'll get around to unpacking later, but after the journey and the earlier bout of carsickness it'd be wiser to turn in early.

After preparing for bed, I slide under the covers on the futon and try to go to sleep. But the words from the man from my dream, Igor, echo in my head.

"_It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a mystery shall be imposed upon you."_

"Like that will happen." I mutter, turning over.

* * *

Fog. There's nothing else but thick fog, dampening my clothes and chilling my skin. I can only see a few meters in front of me. There's no path behind me, only yawning emptiness. There's no other way to go but forward.

I walk down the path, looking for clues about my location or even a way out. But there's only fog obscuring anything that's here. If there is anything, I think with a shudder. Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if all that existed here was the ground I walk upon and fog.

"Do you seek the truth?"

A voice without anything to distinguish itself as male or female, young or old, calls out. But I see no one.

"Who's there?" I call out. "Where are you? And what are you talking about? The truth about what?"

"If it's truth you desire, come and find me."

More vague answers, just like in my dream of the "Velvet Room." Is there any way to get a straight answer here? Not if I just stand here, I'm sure. The voice came from up ahead, so that's where I'm heading.

Not long after, I find a strange wall. It's square and stripped with black and red. There's nothing else connecting to it, like it's floating in this void. The voice must be behind the wall; somehow, I can sense it.

When I touch it, the wall – no, I realize, the door – twists and opens up. I step through and see a figure in the fog. Like the voice, there's nothing about it that gives its identity away.

"So, you are the one pursuing me." It chuckles. "Very well. Try all you like."

"What do you mean by—" Something materializing in my hand, a katana, interrupts me. Looks like I'll have to fight to get answers. I rush forward and slash at the figure, but it dodges.

"It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog." The figure muses while dodging another one of my attacks. "I see. You indeed possess an interesting quality. But you will not catch me so easily. If what you seek is the 'truth,' then your search will be even harder."

More fog comes out of the figure until I can't see it anymore. I move around, trying to find the figure again. "What 'truth' are you talking about?" I call out, hoping for an answer and a clue to where they are.

"Everyone sees what they want to." There; to my right! But the blade doesn't connect. "And the fog only deepens." In front of me now. Still nothing.

"What does that mean? Is that even an answer?"

My opponent only laughs, this time behind me. I whirl around and slash at it, not finding anything. "Will we meet again? At a place other than here? I look forward to it…"

"No, because you're going to tell me what you're going on about!" I try to pursue them, but my legs fall under me. Fog enters my mouth and nose, filling me. Smothering me.

My eyelids and limbs grow heavy. My head spins. Everything goes dark until even the fog disappears.

_**==+O+==**_

So I'm hoping to update this story every Sunday, but that may not always happen due to my job. I'll do my best, though.

Please tell me what you think and how this can be improved! I would appreciate that very much! Especially if you have any ideas about the title (which I'd really love to change).


	2. An Omen

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"  
****Author: **Icewind Alchemist  
**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.  
**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.  
**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.  
**Before I begin…** Story should start to pick up here; it's where the murders start, after all.

I decided to go with the western name order rather than eastern since it was getting confusing. Also, Rin will refer to others by their last names for the first half of the story. Just to let you know.

On to the story!

_**==+O+==**_

_Omen_

_**==+O+==**_

_April 12, 2011_

I resist the urge to fidget with my uniform while following one of the teachers to the classroom. A black and yellow sailor type, it made me look like a middle-school student instead of a high school one. Maybe because it's cutesier than the blazer I grew used to wearing at the last school I attended.

Dojima was gone this morning, so it was just Nanako and I at the house this morning. Thankfully Nanako knew how to cook, if only basic foods like toast and eggs, because my head was still throbbing from last night. I'm sure I had a nightmare, but even now I can't recall it.

After breakfast, Nanako and I walked through the rain to school. She pointed me towards the high school I would attend for the next year, Yasogami High, before making her way to her elementary school.

"Alright, shut your traps!" The teacher barks as he walks into classroom 2-2 with me trailing behind. The students inside the class shut up immediately. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! And just because it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. So long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow."

Morooka waves me up front before continuing. "As much as I'd hate to waste more time, I have to introduce the new transfer student. She's been tossed out of the city like yesterday's garbage and will only be here for a year, so don't get too friendly with her." He turns to me. "Tell them your name, kid, and make it quick!"

My least favorite part about changing schools; introducing yourself to the class. Even though I know it's not his fault, I hate Morooka for making me do this. I gulp and look on at the rest of the class, who's watching me with curious eyes. Oh well, better get it over with.

I bow to the class, keeping my gaze on the ground. "Rin Narukami, nice to meet y—"

"That's enough!" Morooka cuts in. "Now listen up! I don't want any boys here to even think about getting involved with her, got it?" He lets out a disgusted snort. "But what do I know? Everywhere I look you damn kids are on your cell phones or checking your life journals…" He then goes on a rant about the current generation and their dependence on technology, or something like that. My face heats up and I'm sure it's turned red by now. Does he have to do this while I'm still up here? I just want to take a seat so that everyone's attention isn't focused on me.

"Excuse me! Is it alright if the transfer student sits here?" A girl calls out. I pick her out right away; she's wearing a green jacket over her uniform and her light brown hair is cut short. There's an empty desk beside her right in front of a boy slouching in his seat. Please let me sit down, I send the mental message to Morooka. Just let me sit so I can get out of everyone's focus.

"Hmm? Yeah, sure." Morooka turns back to me. "You hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!"

I walk as fast as I can to my seat, but it seems to take longer. All around me I can hear other students gossiping.

"Told ya the transfer was a girl! You owe me five hundred yen!"

"Wow! She's a cutie!"

"I guess she's okay, but she doesn't hold a candle to Amagi or Ebihara."

"Why only a year? Is it punishment?"

"Well if that's the case, getting sent all the way to the middle of nowhere and stuck with King Moron as your teacher is really hefty punishment."

As soon as I slip into my seat and Morooka turns his back to write on the board, the girl leans over to me.

"He's the worst, huh?" She whispers. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck with King Moron. Well, we'll just have to hang in there for the year."

"Yeah…" I murmur back while watching Morooka in case he turns around again.

"I'm Chie Satonaka, by the way."

I smile a little. "Thanks for the help, Satonaka-san."

Satonaka's face starts to turn red. "Oh, come on. You don't have to be super-formal with me!" She chides me. "We're all in the same boat, after all."

Morooka turns around and I pretend to pay attention. Just one year and I go home. If this is the misfortune Igor told me about, I don't think I have much to worry about while in Inaba.

* * *

"…And that's all for today. Normal lectures start tomorrow." Morooka finishes.

I begin to gather my things and make my way out of the school when an announcement over the intercom stops everyone.

"Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

"Of all the times…" Morooka grumbles, and then turns to the class. "You heard what they said. Not one student leaves this classroom until they say otherwise!"

As soon as he leaves, everyone chats among themselves until the sound of police sirens cuts through. Some students rush to the window to see what's going on, but it's in vain; a thick fog outside obscures whatever is going on. "It's like every time it rains, we get fog afterwards." I hear one of the male students complain.

I rest my head on my desk while waiting for the announcement for everyone to leave. Even though there are conversations going on around me, I don't jump in. For one, Mom would always tell me it's rude, and for another there's no point in befriending anyone if I'm staying here for only a year. As long as I keep my head down and not look for trouble, I'll survive. Just as I always have.

Finally, the voice over the intercom makes another announcement.

"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, then quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…"

The chatter increases, ignoring the repetition of the message. I ignore it, taking my cell phone out so I can text Dojima to let him know what happened before getting out of my seat. Since he's a detective, it's likely he's at whatever the incident is and may not get my text until later. Still, better to let him know and avoid a confrontation, seeing as he's supposed to take care of me. I don't want my parents to think I'm irresponsible.

As I head towards the door leading out of the classroom, Satonaka approaches me alongside another girl with long black hair and wearing a red sweater over her uniform. Her companion is the opposite of her; where Satonaka is boyish and cheerful, the other girl looks like a princess with pale skin contrasting her dark hair and a more refined expression.

"Are you going home alone?" Satonaka asks. "Why don't you come with us?"

I think about it. It's just a walk; I'm not doing it to make friends. Just for company. Even if I don't stay for a year, I don't want to come off as rude. "Sure, why not?" I answer.

"Great!" Satonaka smiles before turning to the girl next to her. "Before we go, I should introduce my friend. This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Nice to meet you." Amagi greets me, wearing a shy smile. "I'm sorry this is so sudden."

Satonaka grins sheepishly. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing." She scolds. "I just wanted to ask some stuff, that's all."

Before we can leave, a boy with untidy brown hair and red headphones around his neck approaches us, biting his lip and not looking at us. Even without knowing what he was doing, I knew he must've done something wrong.

"Umm… Satonaka…san…" He stammers while reaching into his bag. Satonaka watches him with curious eyes. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to watch…" He pulls out a DVD case from his bag, bows, and thrusts it at Satonaka before speaking fast. "And I'm really sorry, it was an accident! Please have mercy until my next paycheck!" As soon as the bewildered Satonaka has the DVD he stands up straight and makes his way to the door with quick steps. "See ya!"

"Hey, wait! Stop right there!" Satonaka runs towards the boy. "What did you do to my DVD?!" With a leap, she cuts him off and lands her foot between his legs. He lets out a yelp and crumples, hands covering the spot he was hit.

Satonaka then opens the case and lets out a cry. "What the! I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My 'Trial of the Dragon!'" I take a peek over her shoulder and sure enough, the DVD is broken in three places.

"I think mine's cracked, too." The boy chokes out while getting up, hands still holding his crotch like it would fall off if he let go. "C-Critical hit to the nads…"

Amagi goes over to him with a concerned look in her eyes. "A-Are you alright?"

The boy looks up and manages a pained smile. "Oh… Yukiko-san. Are you worried about me?"

"He's fine, Yukiko." Satonaka tugs Amagi away and shoots a dirty look at him. "Let's ditch him and go home. Narukami-chan, you're still coming with, right?" They walk out the door without another look back. I hesitate for a moment, and then decide it may not be best to get involved.

"That's the last time I ever lend him anything!" Satonaka is still venting while we walk down the hallway. "How did he break it, anyways? Did he shove it into the DVD player or something? I bet he was riding that bike of his way too fast and he crashed into something. Well, whatever he did, he owes me big time! I saved up for weeks…"

I want to point out that Satonaka may have overreacted to the broken DVD – that boy did say he would pay her back as soon as he could – but decide not to. It's best not to bring up such things while someone is angry. Just let her get it all off her chest.

Amagi seems to have the same idea as me, as she also remains quiet. Or maybe she's just shy; I haven't heard her talk since we left the classroom.

Once she's calmed down, which is when we're outside the school, Satonaka asks me about my life in the city while we walk out of the school. It's mainly the two of us talking while Amagi just listens without saying a word. I'm a bit uncomfortable being the focus of Satonaka's attention, but it's just one person so I'm fine. Once she learns all she wants about me, I won't have to deal with her again. That's how it's always been whenever I change schools.

"So that's why you came out here?" Satonaka asks when I tell her about my parents' job. "I thought it was something serious."

"Like a bad deal with the Yakuza?" I offer.

Satonaka laughs nervously. "Nothing like that. Just…well, I don't know. Sheesh, you got a strange imagination, Narukami-chan."

We're walking past the flood plain towards the shopping district. It's surprisingly quiet out here despite the mysterious incident. "There really is nothing here, huh?" Satonaka comments. "That's what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside." Her face brightens. "Wait! There's the Amagi Inn. Yukiko's family runs it, and it attracts visitors to the town. It pretty much keeps the town going." Despite not having anything to do with the Inn, Satonaka grins with pride.

Amagi's eyes widen and she looks down, her face red. "It's just an old inn." She says. Having been suddenly made the center of attention, she looks uncomfortable, something I can relate to.

"No way, it's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure." Satonaka argues and gestures to Amagi. "The Inn's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over some day. Cool, huh?"

"I don't think that's entirely true…" Amagi mutters. "Could we change the subject?"

"Sorry, it's just that this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city and you've barely said a word!" Satonaka says. "But if you want I guess we can tell Narukami-chan about that rumor I—huh? What's that?"

Satonaka points ahead to where a group of people have gathered. Once we're close enough, I see caution tape and a police car. A crime scene? Was this the incident the announcement at school mentioned?

"…who can imagine that hanging from an antenna?" One of the women nearby talks to another.

"Aww, I wanted to see it, too."

"You got here too late. The police and the fire department already took it down a moment ago."

"Well, it's terrifying! A dead body showing up here, of all places."

Satonaka's eyes widened. "Wait! What did she just say? A dead body?"

"I heard it, too." I confirm. "So this must've been the incident they were talking about at scho—"

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I look and find Dojima standing in front of us, eyes glaring at us.

"We were just passing by." I tell him. "Our homes are this way and the announcement at school told us to head home as soon as possible." C'mon Rin, diffuse the situation. Can't let yourself get into trouble so soon. Or drag Satonaka and Amagi into it. "And then we saw something going on here and... well..." I stop, unable to think of what to say next.

Dojima huffs. "Should've figured that would happen." He mutters as he rubs his forehead. "That damn principle. We told him not to let the students through here…"

"Umm… do you two know each other?" Satonaka asks, eyebrow raised.

"I'm her guardian while she's here." Dojima scratches the back of his head while thinking of what to say next. "How do I say this…? I hope you get along with her. This is the first time she's been to Inaba, so besides me and her cousin there aren't many people she knows. Especially those around her age."

I'll be fine, Dojima. I've gotten this far in my life without any real friends. I'm sure I can survive a year without them. Though these words go through my head, I don't say them out loud in case I offend Satonaka or Amagi. I can survive without friends, but I don't want to make any enemies either.

Behind Dojima, a dark-haired man who looked no older than his mid-twenties rushes by, hand over his mouth. He reaches the bushes and the lovely sounds of someone vomiting reach my ears.

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie?" Dojima snaps at him. "You want to be sent to the central office?"

"I-I'm sorry…" The pale detective apologizes weakly, rubbing his mouth.

Dojima lets out a sigh. "Go wash your face before we go around gathering information." He instructs the younger male before turning back to me, Satonaka, and Amagi. "As for the three of you, head straight home. Rin, let Nanako know I won't be back until later. The two of you will probably be asleep by the time I get back. Got it?"

"Got it." We reply. Satisfied with our answer, Dojima returns to the crime scene while the other detective hurries to catch up with him.

The three of us remain silent for awhile before Satonaka speaks up. "We'd better take off. Yukiko and I live in the opposite direction" She tells me while doing her best to smile. "Let's do our best starting tomorrow, neighbor!"

I just nod and weave my way through the crowd and continue on my way.

A murder here in Inaba… this was something I didn't expect to happen. Then again, who does?

Igor's words from before return. _"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination…"_ Could this be what he was talking about?

No, Rin, I say to myself, you're thinking too hard about this. The murder has nothing to do with you. And even if it did, how could it result in "a great mystery" being forced upon you? That's the police's problem, not yours. That prediction's just a figment of your imagination. Just get home and get rest and you'll be fine in the morning.

Rest doesn't come as easily as I hope, however. That night on the news it's announced that Mayumi Yamano, who was involved in the scandal everyone's been talking about, was found dead, her corpse hung on an antenna. And when I sleep, I see her face; eyes wide and vacant and mouth open in a silent scream.

_**==+O+==**_

For anyone who read this chapter before the update, you may notice it's shorter than before. Well, I think I tried to put too much into one chapter and it suffered as a result. So the events of April 13 will be covered in chapter 3, which I'll post once I'm done editing it. Unfortunately, this may mean I won't have time to upload the next installment this week.

But hopefully this chapter is a lot better than before.

…God, I'm horrible at these ending notes.


	3. The Midnight Channel

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"  
****Author: **Icewind Alchemist  
**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.  
**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.  
**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.  
**Before I begin…** This isn't quite the chapter I wanted to upload for this week. But, for those who didn't read my note at the end of the last chapter, I reread chapter 2 and realized that the main problem with it was that I was trying to force too much into it. So I broke it up into two chapters and fixed them.

While they're a lot better now, I'm not sure I'll be able to get the real next chapter up by tomorrow, unfortunately. But I'll do my best. In the meantime, enjoy the new and improved part two of chapter two, now chapter three!

…That was a mouthful. Thank God I didn't have to say it aloud.

_**==+O+==**_

_The Midnight Channel_

_**==+O+==**_

_April 13, 2011_

As I walk, something yellow shoots past me in a blur before crashing up ahead. When I get close enough it turns out to be a bike, its rider stuck in a trashcan rolling around. "S-Someone…" A male voice calls for help inside the can. Other students walk by, paying him no mind. Guess that leaves it up to me.

I sigh and try to grab the trashcan, which rolls away from me. "Hold still." I order. "I can't get it off you if you keep moving." The person inside stays still as I slide the can off him. At least it's empty, since there's no garbage on him. It's oddly clean, too. There's a stroke of luck.

The person I helped turns out to be the boy from yesterday who returned the broken DVD to Satonaka. He pulls the headphones off his ears and rests them on his shoulders. "Thanks for saving me… uh…" He looks at me for a moment before remembering. "Narukami-chan, right? The new transfer student?"

"It took you awhile to remember." I comment.

"We just met. Give me some time and I'll remember." He holds out a hand and smiles. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura, nice to meet ya."

I shake his hand and look at his bike. "Is your bike alright?" I ask.

Hanamura snorts. "I just crashed and you want to know if my bike's alright?" He goes over to check it anyways. It's not mangled, but the chain came loose during the crash so he starts to fix it.

"You're still walking and talking. I consider that a good sign."

"Yeah, that's true. I'm still alive." Once the chain is back where it should be, Hanamura props his bike up. "By the way, did you hear about the incident from yesterday?"

"Who hasn't? It was on the news last night." Both of us continue walking to school as we talk. Talking about the murder makes me remember the image from my nightmares, the one of Yamano's dead face. I don't want to dwell on it, but I suppose there's no getting around it. Something like that in a small town is going to be talked about for days.

"That and in a small town like this, news travels fast." Hanamura looks over at me, his expression serious but his eyes gleam. "You think it was some kind of warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident."

"I don't think so, either." I say. "The only two things that come to mind are suicide and murder. And the former doesn't seem likely, either." Just stay engaging, Rin. Eventually he'll change the subject.

"That's what I'm thinking, too." Hanamura grimaces. "Dangling a dead body over a roof like that, that's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place."

"Hmm." Maybe if I act like I don't have anything more to say Hanamura will stop talking about it.

He does, thankfully. "So… you getting used to Inaba yet?"

"Yeah. It's nice and quiet out here." I look up into the gray sky. Odd; I haven't seen the clear blue skies the country boasts of since I arrived here. "Well, maybe not so quiet right now, with what happened recently…"

"Give it a few days and I'm sure everything will be back to its normal, boring self." Hanamura jokes. "There may not be much to do here compared to the big city, but there's that certain… something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great… Oh, you know about the local delicacy?" When I shake my head he answers with a laugh. "It's grilled steak! Like that's anything special."

"It must be the best grilled steak, than." Strange; he lives here, but talks about Inaba in a way different from how Satonaka did. Like there really wasn't much here.

"Not sure about that, but it's really good. So, I was thinking…" Hanamura says. "I know a place where you can get steak cheap, and you helped me out today. Do you want to go there afterschool? It'll be my treat, as thanks."

"That sounds good, but why don't we worry about getting to school on time?" I show him the time on my phone. We have seven minutes until class starts.

"Oh, crap! We're late!" Hanamura swings one leg over the bike seat and looks over at me. "You want a ride?" He offers. "It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

Normally I would accept, but after seeing him crash I'm not sure making it to class on time is worth possible injuries or worse. "I'll get there on my own, but thanks for the offer."

Hanamura shrugs. "If you say so. See you at school." He takes off down the road while I start running to class.

When I get there – my muscles burning, my lungs desperate for air, and overall feeling like I'm going to die – I wonder if it was all worth avoiding the risk of injury or death.

* * *

"This is the cheap place you were talking about?" Satonaka complains as we sit down at one of the tables in the Junes food court. "There's no grilled steak here."

After school, Satonaka found out that Hanamura and I were getting steak and wanted to be treated also, as payment for breaking her DVD. Hanamura was forced to relent when it became clear that she wouldn't back down from an opportunity to get steak.

Personally, I don't see how a grilled steak would equal a DVD.

"Yeah, well once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Hanamura sits down after setting a tray with sodas onto a table.

"That's still no reason to take us to your place."

"This isn't my place or anything."

"What are you two talking about?" I ask, hoping to defuse a possible argument. I really don't want to get caught up in a fight.

"Oh right, you don't know." Hanamura says. "I moved here from the city about six months ago after my dad was assigned to manage this location."

Ah, so that explains why he was talking about Inaba in that way before.

"Only half a year, huh? Odd; it's only been here for a short time, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since." Satonaka mentions. "A lot of stores there started closing and…" She trails off when she glances at Hanamura.

"You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" Hanamura asks. When he doesn't get an answer from her, he sighs. Then, maybe to move on to a less awkward topic, he grabs one soda and offered the other two to Satonaka and I. "Here, this is to welcome you to town. Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"Yeah, I know." Satonaka grabs her soda while I grab mine. We toast, and then talk while drinking. Nothing major, just small things.

"…and then my mom had to—" Hanamura stops, glancing over at his right. A blonde girl wearing a Junes apron was sitting at one of the tables, head leaning back. "Sorry, be right back." Hanamura slips out of his seat and goes over to talk to the girl.

"Who's that?" I ask Satonaka. "Hanamura's girlfriend?"

"He wishes." Satonaka laughs. "That's Saki Konishi, a third year. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district, but I think she's working part-time here."

I watch Hanamura and Konishi talk. Hanamura's smiling and laughing, but Konishi wears a tired smile. She looks over at me, then gets up and walks over with Hanamura following.

"Are you the transfer student?" Konishi asks.

"I am." I stand up. "Rin Narukami. Nice to meet you, Senpai."

"Nice to meet you, too." Konishi smiles. The dark circles under her eyes make her look even wearier. "It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh?"

"A little." I say. "I'm not good with people." Not exactly a lie. I can't be good at being with people if I hardly do it, right?

"Hana-chan doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along." Konishi says. "He's a good guy, but he gets nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you."

"I'll remember that."

"Hey! I'm right here you know!" Hanamura crosses his arms and glares at both of us.

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding." Konishi laughs, then stretches out. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go." She starts to walk off when Hanamura runs over to her.

"Wait, Senpai! There's something I want to ask you." Hanamura digs through his pockets before he pulls something out. "You know that new spy movie that's coming out. I was wondering, since neither of us have work this Friday, if maybe after school…" He stops when he sees her looking away. "I-I mean, if you're not tired or anything. But if you don't want to, that's—"

"Sure, I'll go." Hanamura's eyes widen. "Friday after school, then"

Hanamura stands there, jaw open, while Konishi walks away. Then he cheers, attracting the attention of other shoppers, before returning to the table. He's still grinning when he sits down.

"That went well." I comment.

Satonaka raises an eyebrow at me. "Isn't that something you say when things go wrong?" She asks, and then shakes her head. "By the way, do you have a boyfriend, Narukami-chan?"

My face heats up from the question. "Th-That's a bit personal, don't you think?" When Satonaka doesn't look like she's going to let me off the hook I sigh. "No, I've never had one. Nothing serious, at least." With all the moving around I end up doing, I doubt I could hold a relationship for too long anyways.

Satonaka stares at me with surprise."Really? Wow, I thought you'd be with someone by now. Well, you might like this." She leans forward like she's going to tell us a big secret. "You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?"

When neither Hanamura nor I answer, she continues on. "On a rainy night, you're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, at exactly midnight. If you do that, while you look at your own image you'll see another person appear on the screen. That person is your soul mate."

Huh, that's actually kind of interesting. Not what I expected to hear from someone like Satonaka, but I'm curious now.

"What?" Hanamura scoffs. "I thought you were going to say something serious. How can you get so excited over a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh?" Satonaka snaps. "You don't believe it, do you?"

"Of course I don't!" Hanamura gestures wildly. "That sounds like one of those chain letters you get that says something like 'If you pass this on, you'll have good luck for the next year. And if you don't a ghost will haunt you until you die.'"

"Well, it's supposed to rain tonight! Let's all try it out, then you'll see!" Satonaka challenges.

"You haven't even tried it yourself?" Hanamura asks. "Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…" He turns to me. "Narukami, you're not thinking about trying it out, are you?"

"I am, actually." I tell him. "I still have unpacking to do tonight and I'd like to check it out."

"Seriously?" Hanamura stares at me. "I didn't think you'd be interested in something like—"

"Just try it, alright?" Satonaka cuts in. "Then tomorrow we'll see who's the childish one!"

"I didn't even say that about you…" Hanamura mutters. "But fine, if it will make you shut up I'll try it out."

We get up and throw away our empty cups before leaving for home. By the time I get back to the Dojima residence, it's raining just as Satonaka predicted.

* * *

During the time leading up to midnight, I did whatever I could to occupy my time. I ate dinner with Nanako while watching the news people interview the student who found Yamano's corpse (while they were definitely female, nothing else about their identity was given away) until Dojima, who had returned home in a weary state, passed out. Nanako and I roused him so he could sleep in his futon instead of the couch.

By the time I finish unpacking my belongings and organizing my room, there's two hours left until midnight, so I end up studying while watching the hands of my clock draw closer to midnight.

A minute before then, I get up from the couch, walk over to the TV, and stare at the screen.

Nothing happens. I check the clock and, sure enough, both hands are pointing up. So it was just a rumor, I think as I turn away. Satonaka will be disappointed.

The sound of static fills the room and there's a light behind me. When I turn around, I see a figure on the screen. It looks female, but outside of that I can't make out any details as the image flickers on and off. As I try to get a closer look, my head starts to throb.

"_I am thou…"_

The throbbing becomes painful. I squeeze my temples in an attempt to alleviate it.

"_Thou art I…"_

Who's talking? I don't hear it so much as the words just surface in my mind. But why would I think of something like this?

"_Thou art the one who opens the door…"_

I start to get light-headed, stagger, and start to fall forward. To keep myself from colliding with it, my hand grabs the TV so I can steady myself.

Or at least, that's what I try to do; my hand sinks through the screen and soon my head and the top portion of my body fit through.

Somehow, I'm falling into the TV. The very thought is so bizarre it can't be real. And yet it's happening.

My shoulder catches onto the edge of the TV. Thank God it's too small; I don't want to think what would happen if I fell all the way through. I feel around for something to grab until my hand finds the edge and grabs it. Then I pull myself out of the TV.

Maybe I pulled a bit too hard because now I'm falling back and my head hits the table in front of the couch. Sharp pain races through my skull, but compared to what almost happened it's a relief.

There's a knock at my door. "Are you okay?" Nanako; she must've heard the commotion I made. Don't cause trouble, Rin. Just tell her everything's alright.

"I'm alright."

"Okay. Good night."

I walk over to my futon, still coming to terms with what I just discovered. The Midnight Channel is real. And apparently my TV wants to eat me.

How am I going to explain this tomorrow?

_**==+O+==**_

Next chapter we go into the TV world! And I'm still not good at ending notes!

I'm pretty sure there are still some things wrong with this chapter, but I'm not good at picking them out. So if you find any let me know. Also, I'm still shopping for a new title for this story; I really don't like it!

Suggestions, please!


	4. Where Shadows Dwell

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"**

**Author: **Icewind Alchemist

**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.

**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.

**Before I begin… **Okay, I swear the next chapter is where things will really heat up!

This is the last chapter of exposition before the action starts. Just bear with me!

…Oh, crap. I'm turning into Teddie.

_**==+O+==**_

_Where Shadows Dwell_

_**==+O+==**_

_April 14, 2011_

"So did you guys watch it last night?" is the first question out of Satonaka's mouth once classes end. She watches me and Hanamura while waiting for an answer.

"Uh, well… what about you?" He stammers.

"I did! There was a girl on the screen! I couldn't tell who it was, exactly, but it was definitely a girl. She had brown hair that was shoulder length and was wearing our uniform." Satonaka pauses. "But wait, does that mean my soul mate's a girl?"

"Hold on, I think that's who I saw, too!" Hanamura jumps in. "The image on my screen was too blurry to make out that much, though."

"So does that mean we both have the same soul mate?" Satonaka frowns, then turns to me. "What about you, Narukami-chan?"

"That sounds a lot like the person I saw." I tell them. "I'm sure I saw a girl, but before I could make out anything else I started to hear a voice in my head saying things that made my head hurt and fell into the TV. The good news was that it was too small for my whole body to fit through so I managed to pull myself out and…" I trail off as Satonaka and Hanamura stare at me with eyebrows raised.

"So we all saw the same person?" Hanamura muses. "Weird. And as for the weird voices and nearly falling into your TV, I think you may have fallen asleep in front of your TV, Narukami."

I shake my head. "But I didn't! I went to sleep afterwards and ended up—never mind." I don't think I'll be able to prove it really happened if I said I ended up dreaming that I was chased by a giant TV that tried to eat me.

"It's still an interesting dream, though." Satonaka smiles. "I like the part where you couldn't go through because it was too small; that's pretty realistic. Maybe if it were bigger, the—" She stops and turns to Hanamura. "That reminds me! My family's been thinking of buying a bigger TV and I heard Junes recently got a shipment of flat screens."

"We did." Hanamura confirms with a smile. "If you want, we can check 'em over on the way back."

"Definitely!" Satonaka exclaims. "My parents don't know a lot about electronics, and I just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" She jumps to one foot and strikes a pose I think is supposed to be something out of kung-fu while letting out a battle cry.

"Err… right. We got some pretty big ones in stock, so I'm sure we can find one you can fit into." Hanamura winks at me while he laughs.

I let out a sigh. "As long as you won't keep teasing me about last night, sure I'll come along." There isn't much else to do in Inaba right now, and I don't see a point in returning to the Dojima household at the moment.

Hanamura glances over at the empty seat Amagi sits in and frowns. "Yukiko-san left early today, too? Did something happen?"

"No. She said she has to work at the Inn today, too." Satonaka frowns with concern. "I'm starting to worry about her. This is the second day she's had to leave early to help and she looked exhausted this morning."

I remember Amagi's face, pale with dark circles under her half-lidded eyes, and nod. "Hopefully they'll give her a break tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too." Satonaka stretches. "Well, nothing we can do about it today. Let's go, you guys."

The three of us chat about small things while walking to Junes. Thankfully neither Hanamura nor Satonaka mention the events I described from last night.

"By the way, I heard a rumor." Satonaka says as we step into the elevator. "Apparently Saki-Senpai was the person who found Yamano's body."

"If that's true, that would explain why she looked so down yesterday." Hanamura's hand strays to his pocket. "Now that I think about it, she didn't seem to be at school today either."

The elevator dings and opens its doors to the electronics department. Hanamura, who's either forgotten or put aside the condition of his senpai for the moment, leads Satonaka and I to what's probably the biggest TV on the floor.

"Wow! This is huge!" Satonaka's wide eyes spot the price tag. "And… Holy crap, that's expensive! Who buys stuff like this?"

"I dunno. Rich folk?" Hanamura shrugs. "Not many people shop around for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"At least looking's free." Satonaka says. She glances over at Hanamura. As though able to communicate with telepathy, they walk towards the TV and put their hands on the screen at the same time. Both try to push through, then step away when met with resistance.

"Nope. Can't get in."

"This proves it. It was all a dream."

"I thought I said we were going to forget about what I said." I glare at the two of them. "I get it, alright? I might have fallen asleep and had some weird dream." What I say isn't how I feel, however. I know for a fact I was awake when it happened. But it's clear they're not going to believe me.

"Couldn't resist." Hanamura grins. "Well, it's a good thing you can't get through all the way. These flat screens are so thin you'd probably end up on the other si—Wait, what am I saying?" To distract from his blunder he turns his attention to Satonaka. "So what kind of TV are you guys in the market for?"

"My parents said one that's cheap." Satonaka says. "You got any suggestions?"

Hanamura leads Satonaka to another TV nearby and starts advertising in what I think of as his salesman voice. They start arguing over the price ("You got connections, right? C'mon, hook me up!" "You know I can't do that!"), not paying any attention to me.

I stare at the screen in front of me and reach towards it with some hesitation. Not because I think it's not going to work and I'll make a fool of myself, but if it works I can fit through the screen. What if I stumble and fall in while no one's looking? What if there's something big and nasty on the other side?

But still, I have to try.

The moment my hand touches the screen, it ripples like water. There's a static feeling around my wrist where it touches the screen, but it's not painful. I don't feel anything on the other side, either.

"By the way, Narukami, what kind of TV do you—" Hanamura stops talking the moment he sees what I'm doing. His eyes widen and his jaw hangs open.

Satonaka stares at his expression. "Huh? Something wrong, Hanamura?" She turns in the direction he's staring in, at me, and soon she's wearing the same expression. "Th-That's just a new function, right!? A new model?"

"Hell no!" Hanamura shakes his head and runs over to me. "Okay, how's it work? What's the magician's secret!?"  
"I'm not doing a magic trick." I look him in the eye. "This was what I was trying to tell you guys before. It wasn't a dream." I look back at the screen. Nothing's happened to my hand, so there may not be anything dangerous on the other side. And with Satonaka and Hanamura nearby, I'm not in danger of falling in. "I'm going to take a peek inside." I tell them as I start to stick my head inside.

"H-Hey! Don't do that!"

"Oh my God!"

I can't see much inside, but it looks like vast empty space. I can still hear Hanamura and Satonaka panicking, but their voices are distorted like they're under water.

"Holy crap, this is all too much for my bladder!"

"What the-? Are you going to pee your pants!?"

"I've been holding it all day! I haven't had a chance to go! Can't… hold it… anymore!"

There's a pause.

"Shit! Customers! They're coming!"

"What!? But we've got someone half-stuck in a TV here! What're we going to do!?"

It's at this point I'm thinking I should pull myself out before I cause a panic, or more than I have already. But as I'm starting to someone bumps me from behind and tips my whole body into the TV.

Now I'm really falling into the TV, along with Satonaka and Hanamura judging by the screams. That must be what bumped me before.

I'm not falling for long when my back collides with hard ground. It hurts, but I don't think I suffered any serious damage. Hanamura and Satonaka land not far from me.

The three of us get up on our feet and look around. Or we try as much as we can through the thick yellow fog obstructing our vision. We're standing in what looks like a TV studio with metal scaffolding around us and stage lights above.

"Is this inside Junes?" Satonaka asks.

"Hell no it isn't." Hanamura says. "I mean, we just fell through a TV!"

"So, how do we get out?" Satonaka looks around and bites her lip. "I don't remember which way we came in, and I don't see any way in or out!"

Hanamura's head whips around as he looks for an exit. "That can't be right! We came in here, so there should be a way out! How could there be no exit!?"

"I don't know! Don't ask me!" Satonaka snaps. "I just wanna go home!"

"But how!?"

I step in between Hanamura and Satonaka. "Both of you calm down." I tell them. "Panicking isn't going to help us get out of here."

"R-Right." Hanamura takes a deep breath, with Satonaka following suit. "If we take a look around, we may find an exit. There should be one here if we got in."

"Sounds like a plan." I agree before grabbing onto my companions' sleeves. "Everyone keep a hold on each other. With this fog, it'll be easy for one of us to lose the others. And be careful where you step."

Satonaka grabs my sleeve. "Okay. You lead the way."

I take slow, cautious steps out of the studio with Hanamura and Satonaka doing the same. It takes me awhile to find a middle ground between safe and fast. Too safe and Hanamura complains that it'll take years before we're out of here at the rate I go. Too fast and my foot almost ends up falling through empty space instead of landing on solid ground.

Eventually the three of us at a corridor leading to a black and red portal ahead. I let go of Hanamura and Satonaka once I'm positive there's no way any of us can wander too far away.

When we walk through the portal, it's the same feeling I got when I went through the TV. Inside is what looks like a bedroom. The fog seems lighter here, too. But when Hanamura checks his phone, there's no signal.

"It's a dead end." I say aloud. "I don't think we can go any further this way. Let's turn back."

Turning around, all three of us froze at the sight that awaited us.

Pictures with the face slashed off filled the walls and something red splashed over them. Nearby is a chair with a rope and a red scarf dangling over it.

"Is that a noose?" Hanamura asks, looking over at it. "It and the chair are never a good arrangement."

"What about these pictures?" Satonaka looks over the mutilated images. They look familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I've seen them. "I know I've seen these before…" She shakes her head. "Guys… can we leave?"

"Sure. There's no point in lingering around here." I start heading towards the exit with Satonaka when Hanamura lets out a groan and runs over to a wall. Then there's the sound of a zipper being undone.

"What are you doing!?" Satonaka yells.

"I can't hold it anymore!" Hanamura shouts back. "I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!"

"Y-You can't be serious! You're doing it here!?"

"Turn around! I can't do it with people watching!"

Despite that, Satonaka and I still stare at him. I try to look away, but it's like something is keeping my gaze on Hanamura while his face scrunches up.

"Agh… I can't do it." He zips his pants closed. "It's your fault if my bladder bursts."

"Then let's get going." I start to head back the way we came. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can take care of your bladder."

"Very funny, Narukami." Hanamura grumbles but follows.

We make our way down the same path from before, this time looking for other pathways we might have missed. None but the way we came is visible.

That's not the only thing bothering me. My head and limbs get heavier as we walk and it hasn't been that long. Hanamura and Satonaka don't look well, either. Even though it's hard to tell with the fog, they seem a little paler than before and occasionally one of them stumbles.

Is it something to do with this world? If so, then if we stay here for too long…

No; I can't think like that.

"Guys… I think we're back where we started." Satonaka's words provide a distraction from my unwanted thoughts, but the message is not an improvement.

"There must be another path we can take." I say, doing my best to stay calm. Panicking will only make things worse. "Let's find it and try that wa—" I stop when I see a shape in the fog drawing closer to where the three of us are.

Satonaka takes a step back. "Wha-What is that?"

"I don't know." I also back away while praying it wasn't a threat. The last thing we need now is something trying to kill us.

"Satonaka!" Hanamura, who backed several feet away when neither of us was looking, calls out. "Why don't you use those kung fu skills you're so proud of on it!?"

"That's all you have to say!?" Satonaka yells back, but still faces the emerging figure. "Well… may as well try." She coils up and springs at the figure while letting out a "Hiii-ya!" and kicks it down.

The figure lets out a cry and flails around on the ground. "Stop! No more!"

I draw close enough to get a good look at Satonaka's victim. It's… I'm honestly not sure what it is. It looks like a bear, but its fur is blue and it wears a red and white suit with a zipper around the collar. What's more, its face looks more like something out of a cartoon rather than a realistic bear.

"What the hell…?" Hanamura rejoins Satonaka and me and stares at the creature with a frown. "What's something like this doing here?"

The bear-thing stops trying to stand up and glares at Hanamura. "That's what I was going to ask you!" He exclaims. "You three shouldn't be here! You gotta get out of here before the Shadows find you!"

"That's what we're trying to do!" Hanamura gestures around the stage. "But we can't do that if there's no exit."

The bear-thing makes a frustrated sound and redoubles his efforts to stand up.

It doesn't seem like he's a threat; even if he didn't warn us of the possible danger, he went down with one kick. Granted, the kick was from someone who's a kung fu fanatic, but it was still just a kick. And he may be able to help us.

So I go behind the bear-thing and push him up on his feet. He wobbles a bit before righting himself.

"Thanks!" He waddles in front of us. "Now, you guys have to leave. So I'll make an exit for you!" He stomps his foot two times and a stack of TVs appear in a puff of smoke.

"That's the exit?" Satonaka asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We came in through a TV." I point out. "I guess it's fitting we leave through one."

Suddenly, something shoves me from behind. "C'mon! Get going!" The bear-thing pushes the three of us towards the stack. "I'm a very busy bear!"

"Ow! Wait, you little—Whoa!" Hanamura's curse is cut short as the three of us stumble into the TVs.

Just like before we fall to the ground in a pile, this time in the electronics department at Junes. As we untangle limbs and climb to our feet, I spot a familiar image next to the TV we fell out of; a poster of Misuzu Hiiragi, the singer involved in the scandal. But I'm sure I've seen it somewhere else…

"We're back…" Satonaka murmurs. "I didn't think we'd make it."

"Me neither." Hanamura wobbles a bit and winces. "Ugh… my head's killing me. I don't know about you two, but I'm heading home and forgetting what happened."

Satonaka nods. "Sounds like a plan. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The two of them leave while I stay where I am, staring at the poster of Hiiragi. It appeared somewhere else, but I can't put my finger on where.

Then it clicks; the room inside the TV world, the posters on the walls with the faces ripped off. Those were the same as the one I'm staring at now.

Whoever was in that room hated Hiiragi. And, I shudder as the image of the chair and rope reappear in my mind, may have had other issues as well.

Wait… why am I letting this get to me? I'm never going back to that world, not after nearly getting trapped there. It was pure luck that the three of us ran into that bear. I don't want to test it again.

I'll go back to the Dojima residence, forget what happened, and sleep it off. There's no point dwelling on it anymore.

_April 15, 2011_

There's a heavy blanket of fog covering the road as I walk to school. It's not like the yellow fog from the world inside the TV, but it's an unwanted reminder of yesterday's events. Even after getting a good night's rest, the thought of what happened makes my head hurt.

A police siren makes me stop. What happened? A robbery? An accident?

A murder?

An image of someone hanging off an antenna flits into my mind and I shudder. Hopefully it isn't.

I approach the gates of Yasogami and find a small crowd gathering. In the middle are Amagi, Satonaka next to her, and a boy wearing an unfamiliar uniform.

"Another contender for the Amagi Challenge." One student nearby shakes his head. "That guy doesn't know what he's in for."

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out." Another student sniggered.

"No way! We both know how it's gonna end."

The boy looks over at the students gossiping about him and I freeze. His eyes are dark and empty. There's no shine to them; it's like they're absorbing light instead of reflecting it.

He turns back to Amagi and steps closer to her, wearing a smile that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. When Amagi leans away from him he doesn't seem to care. "So how 'bout it, Yuki? You coming or not?"

Amagi shakes her head. "I'm not going."

"Fine!" The boy runs away, pushing through the crowd and not caring when a first year almost falls over.

I go over to Amagi, who's watching her would-be suitor run away, both eyebrows raised. "What… What did he want from me?" She asks.

Satonaka stares at her with her jaw open before answering. "What did he want?" She repeats. "Obviously a date! But still, I don't blame you for turning him down. He was creepy, like the way he called you 'Yuki.' And those eyes…" Satonaka shudders and makes a face.

A bike creaks as it approaches us; Hanamura. "Another poor soul got crushed by Yukiko-san's rejection, huh?" He comments as he dismounts. "I still remember when you did that to me last year."

Amagi frowns. "I don't remember that."

"Oh? In that case, will you go out with me?"

"No."

Hanamura lets out a sigh. "That'll teach me for getting my hopes up." His face brightens. "Ah! I almost forgot! It's Friday!" He pulls the pair of movie tickets from his pocket. "Hope Saki-senpai is feeling better. Man, I'm glad she wasn't around when I asked Yukiko-san. I don't want her getting the wrong idea. Especially since I was with you three when I asked her."

"Speaking of feeling better…" I look at Hanamura and Satonaka's faces. They don't look unwell, but I still want to make sure. "Are you two feeling alright? You looked like you would fall over any minute the last time I saw you."

"Yup! I'm in tip-top shape!" Satonaka smiles and raises her fist in the air.

"I'm feeling fine, too. Why? You worried, Narukami?" Hanamura laughs.

My face flushes. "I'm just checking, that's all." I scowl at Hanamura. "Don't make such a big deal of it."

"Did something happen?" Amagi looks back and forth at the three of us. "Chie, did you get into trouble?"

Satonaka scratches the back of her head. "Well, it's a long story, and I'm sure you wouldn't believe me. We were…" The warning bell rings, cutting her off. "Oh, crap! We gotta hurry!"

The four of us run into the building to our class before Morooka can chew us out.

Once classes end, all students are called to an assembly held in Yasogami's auditorium. Everyone around me is chattering, wondering for what reason we've been called here.

Hanamura checks his phone, eyebrows knit together. "Weird. Saki-senpai hasn't sent me anything. She texts me whenever we're leaving school together." Craning his neck, he looks around the crowd of students. "I don't see her, either."

"Maybe she left school early, like Yukiko did." Satonaka, who's standing beside us, says. "Her family might've needed help at their store."

"But then why not let me know? If something like that happened, she would say something." Hanamura argues. "Besides, why would someone not say anything when they had plans with another person?"

"Maybe you got dumped?" I say to him.

"Is that the best idea you got?" Hanamura scowls at me. "That's not funny."

We stop when one of the teachers, the one with the Egyptian headdress whose name I still haven't remembered, calls for everyone's attention. Once everyone is silent, she steps away from the podium so the principal, an old man wearing traditional Japanese garb, can take her place.

The principal clears his throat. "I'm afraid I have bad news for all of you. One of our third year students, Saki Konishi, has passed away."

There's a strangled gasp at my side. Hanamura, the source of it, is pale and is staring at the principal with wide eyes.

"The police have informed me that Konishi-san was found in a similar matter as the other victim, Mayumi Yamano. I urge all of you to remain cautious until the culprit is found. And if anyone knows something that could help the investigation, go to the police…"

The rest of the principal's speech turns into background noise. My attention is on Hanamura, still staring ahead without looking, holding a phone that will never receive the message he's been waiting for.

_**==+O+==**_

I'm really sorry about the delay! Lots of other things have been happening on my end. I promise I'll work extra hard to get the next chapter out on time!

Next up: the second murder and the plot really steps up!


	5. The Contract

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"  
****Author: **Icewind Alchemist  
**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.  
**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.  
**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.  
**Before I begin…** For those who read chapter four before September 16th, I edited its ending; you may want to take a look at it so you won't get confused.

Anyways, here's chapter five!

_**==+O+==**_

_The Contract_

_**==+O+==**_

After the assembly Hanamura ran off, but not before telling Satonaka and me to meet him in the Junes electronics department.

Once we arrive, we find him standing in front of the TV the three of us fell into yesterday. In one hand is a golf club and in the other is a coil of rope.

"What's going on?" Satonaka asks as soon as we're in front of him. "And what's with those?" She gestures to the golf club and rope.

"Something's been bothering me since the assembly." Hanamura admits. "I was thinking about what we saw on the Midnight Channel the night before…" His eyes look troubled as he speaks. "I think the person we saw was Saki-senpai."

I raise an eyebrow. "That still doesn't explain what's going on."

"She appeared on the Midnight Channel before she died." Hanamura explains. "And I heard that one of the other second-years saw Mayumi Yamano on it before she died."

"Wait. You're saying the Midnight Channel shows who's going to die next?" Satonaka says.

"That's what I'm thinking. And I think the other world may have something to do with it. It's just a hunch right now, though."

"It might be more." I step up. "Remember those posters we saw in that creepy room? The ones with the faces cut out?" I point to the poster nearby of Hiiragi. "That's what they must have looked like before. And Hiiragi was involved in the same scandal Yamano was in before her death."

Hanamura nods. "Then it can't be a coincidence. That world we were in had something to do with the announcer and Senpai's death." He looks me in the eye. "I can't walk away from this, I need to know why Senpai had to die. And I don't want to endanger you, Narukami. But you're the only one I know who can enter that world." His eyes silently beg me for help. "I need your help."

"Narukami-chan, don't!" Satonaka protests. "We were lucky to get out of there before!"

"That bear might still be where we entered." Hanamura says. He holds up the rope. "And if not, I got a back-up plan."

"A life line!? What if that doesn't work!?" Satonaka whirls towards me, eyes watering. "Narukami-chan, you can't do this! If you and Hanamura find something in there…"

I look over at Hanamura. His eyes look determined; something tells me he'll do something stupid if I don't help him. But if I go with, at least I can help if something goes wrong.

"I'll take you." Satonaka begins to protest when I stop her. "But if there's something we can't handle, something that can end our lives, we're coming straight back here. No questions or complaints. Understood?"

Hanamura smiles with gratitude and nods. "Got it." He hands one end of the rope to me and the other to Satonaka. "Narukami, tie your end around your waist. Satonaka, you hold the other end. I'm trusting you with our lives."

Satonaka grips her end of the rope, not saying a word.

Hanamura puts one hand on my shoulder as I start to climb through the TV. Before we disappear through the screen I hear Satonaka call out "Be careful!"

The two of us land on hard ground, groaning. Once we're on our feet we look around.

"It's the same place from before." I say as I look up. "So the TVs are connected to specific places."

"You two came here again? Why?" Hanamura and I turn to face the bear, who approaches us with slow cautious steps. His eyes narrow into a glare. "Now I get it… you're the ones behind this!"

"What the hell did you just say!?" Hanamura snaps. "Behind what!?"

"Someone's been throwing people in here before the fog clears up." The bear says. "It's making this world more and more messed up."

"The fog lifts here?" I ask. "What's significant about that?"

"Because that's when the Shadows get violent! From what I know, if it gets foggy on your side it clears up here." He points at us. "This is the second time the two of you have been here and I don't think anyone forced you in. So that makes you the most suspicious! You must be the ones throwing people in here!"

"Why would we do that!?" Hanamura argues. "If people were thrown in here and there was no way out, they could die! Who would do such a—" He stops and turns to me. "Wait… people getting thrown in here. Could that mean Senpai and the announcer?"

"It's not like they could fall in here on accident." I say. "You and Satonaka couldn't get in here without my help. There must be someone else with the same power as me…" The thought isn't comforting. If I have the same ability as a murderer… No. I'm not going to think about that.

"And when it gets foggy on our side, it clears up here…" Hanamura murmurs. "It was foggy both times a dead body showed up. I knew there was a connection!"

"What're you guys mumbling about?" The bear speaks up, not happy about being ignored. "Why'd you come in here anyways? Did you forget I had to let you out before?"

"Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time." Hanamura dismisses and gestures to the rope around my waist. "This time we have a lifeli— What!? Narukami! The rope!"

I frown at Hanamura's wide eyes and look down. The end of the rope Satonaka was supposed to hold is severed. No, I realize when I feel the end, more like there was never anything connecting to it in the first place.

I should've known it wouldn't be this easy.

"Hey! You'd better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Hanamura exclaims to the bear.

"I'm the one investigating here!" The bear growls. "In all the time I've lived here, it's never been this noisy until now." He looks at both of us. "I don't know why you're throwing people in here, but it ends now! You'd better stop or I won't let you out!"

Hanamura lets out a frustrated noise. "We're not the culprits! I've told you again and again, and you still won't listen." He leans in towards the bear. "Maybe you're the real culprit!" The bear backs away, but Hanamura grabs him by the head. "Take off that stupid costume and show yourself!"

He and the bear tumble to the ground. The bear struggles to get back up, but is unable to lift himself up with Hanamura on top of him. Hanamura grabs the zipper around the bear's neck and unzips it before pulling the head off. He stares and stumbles back with a cry of surprise and horror.

There's nothing inside the bear.

"It's empty!? H-How!?" Hanamura sputters.

The bear's body stumbles around hands waving as he searches for his head. Since he can't talk, and thus not give us the information we need, I grab his head and put it back on his body before zipping it back up. Hanamura stares at me. "You got thicker skin than I thought, Narukami…" He mutters

"Thank you again!" The bear says to me. "I don't think you're the culprit anymore. You helped me twice, and no one that kind could do something horrible." He looks at Hanamura. "You I'm still not beary sure about."

"S-Seriously!?" Hanamura huffs in an exasperated tone. "I can't even get in without Narukami's help! How do I prove I'm not the culprit!?"

"He's not the one you're looking for." I tell the bear. "I can vouch for him."

"Oh? Then in that case, I'll believe you." The bear says. He looks at us with downcast eyes. "But you gotta help me find the one who's really behind it and make him stop, alright? I just want things to go back to how they used to be. Promise me?"

Hanamura shakes his head. "How can we do something li—"

"We'll do it" I cut in. Before Hanamura can protest, I continue. "That's what we came here for, right? To find out why Konishi-senpai died?"

"True…" Hanamura sighs and turns to the bear. "Alright, we'll help you. May as well introduce ourselves, too. I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is Rin Narukami. You got a name?"

The bear, who's cheered up now that we've agreed to help him, smiles. "Teddie. And I know where we can start the investigation. I can lead you guys to the place the last person came in, so you can find clues." He digs around his suit. "But first, you both should put these on." He pulls out two pairs of glasses. One has slender violet frames while the other has squarish orange ones.

Hanamura frowns at the glasses, but shrugs and puts them on as I do the same.

The moment the lenses are in front of my eyes, everything changes. The fog that filled the area disappears, giving me a clear view of the world around me.

"Amazing. It's like the fog doesn't exist." Hanamura says in an awed voice. "Alright, Teddie. Lead the way."

We follow Teddie to an all too familiar place; the shopping district. Except here there isn't a single person out on the streets and the sky is red with moving black stripes (or is it black with moving red stripes?).

"The shopping district? Why replicate this place?" Hanamura looks around, searching for clues.

"How should I know?" Teddie shrugged. "This is reality for the one who's here."

"That makes no sense." Hanamura grumbles. "Still, if this is the shopping district then maybe Saki-senpai…" He runs further in, leading Teddie and I to a store near the end of the district. There's no door, only a portal with red and black stripes similar to the sky. A sign above the door reads Konishi Liquors. "I knew it! This is the store Senpai's family runs."

This is reality for the one who's here… Teddie's words return to my mind. "Do you think she made this place? Like that room we saw?" I tell Hanamura. "I haven't seen anyone else here who could've made them."

Hanamura thinks for a moment. "That could be… this world doesn't seem to follow the same rules ours does." He looks at the red and black portal. "We might find something inside. Let's go." But as the two of us walk towards the portal, Teddie lets out a cry.

"Wait! They're here!" Teddie backs away from the store. "The Shadows found us. I should've known they were going to attack!"

From the portal, two black blobs with blue masks fall out with wet plopping sounds. They rise into the air and form two hovering pink spheres with black stripes and huge slobbering mouths. Their eyeless gazes turn to me and Hanamura.

Hanamura stands in front of me and Teddie, golf club held out as a weapon. "Narukami, Teddie, stay back! I'll handle this." His voice is determined, but there's sweat running down his face and his eyes look at the Shadows before us with apprehension.

Still, he charges forward and swings the club at one of the Shadows with a yell. The club makes contact with the Shadow, but doesn't seem to hurt the Shadow at all. Instead, the club bends under the force of the blow. Hanamura steps back, eyes wide, as the Shadow lunges at him. He yelps when it bites into his shoulder.

The other Shadow makes its way towards me and Teddie. It's coming too fast for either of us to run away, but if we stand and fight it won't end well either. If weapons won't work on Shadows, then what will?

"_I am thou. Thou art I."_

Pain shoots through my head again. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my head. Not completely drown out by the voice in my head are Hanamura and Teddie's shouts.

"_The time has come. Open thine eyes and call forth what is within!"_

The pain goes away and something appears in my hand; I open my eyes to see it.

A card, with a silhouette of someone I don't know but somehow feels familiar. The card begins to glow and warmth spreads through my body. There's something inside me, something I was never aware was there until now. It's coursing through my veins, yearning to be released.

The Shadow attacking Hanamura stops and turns its attention on me. Both are still coming at me, but much slower than before. I know why and smile; they've realized I pose a threat. The reason for their hesitance is the awakening power inside me. A word I barely know comes from my lips.

"Per… so… na."

The card ignites with blue flames that don't burn my hand as I close it into a fist, crushing the card with surprising ease. There's a sound like shattering glass and my palm feels like I've been squeezing needles, but the sensation passes and the power I feel growing inside me flows out of my body. I'm being divided, yet I've never felt so whole in my life.

The silhouette from the card manifests over me and other details fill it in. It looks like a man, wearing a long black coat and a metal helmet obscuring its face. In one clawed hand is a cross between a spear and a sword, the weight of which I can feel in my hands even though I'm not touching it. A name surfaces in my mind.

"Go, Izanagi!" I point at the Shadows and Izanagi flies at them, swinging his blade. He cleaves one Shadow in half and it dissolves into black mist. The other Shadow shakes off its fear and shoots forward at Izanagi. Its teeth clamp down on his head and I feel his pain.

Pull it off, Izanagi. Pull it off!

Izanagi reads my thoughts. One hand reaches up and grabs the Shadow, yanking it off his head. Still holding the Shadow, he stabs it through the mouth and slices it open. Like the other Shadow, it dissolves away.

As Teddie and Hanamura approach me with wide eyes, Izanagi vanishes back into me.

"W-What was that?" Hanamura asks with awe in his voice. "Did I hear you say Persona? You think I could do that, too?" The last part is spoken with excitement.

Teddie pushes past Hanamura. "Wow, Sensei! I never knew you had that kind of power! No wonder the Shadows felt threatened. It's a good thing you're here!" He turns to Hanamura. "Don't you think so, Yosuke?"

Hanamura shoves Teddie away. "Dude, you call her Sensei and then don't show me any respect!?" He snaps.

"Sorry." Teddie gets up and averts his eyes. "I got excited."

Hanamura lets out a sigh. "Well, with everything that just happened I guess that's not unusual." He looks at the portal leading into the liquor store. "Anyways, we'd better continue this investigation."

But before any of us step through the door, female voices begin murmuring all around.

"I wish Junes would go under."

"It's all because of that store!"

"I heard Konishi-san's daughter got a part-time job there."

"That poor man, to have his daughter working for the enemy."

"What… Who's there!?" Hanamura's head whips around. "Where are those voices coming from!?" When there was no answer, he turned back to the store. "In here?" He runs into the store with me and Teddie following close behind.

The interior of the liquor store is dark, with stacks of alcohol reaching to the ceiling. There are voices here as well, this time a man.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!? You know what the neighbors say about you, right!?"

"Senpai's dad?" I hear Hanamura murmur nearby.

"You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Aren't you ashamed of yourself!? Tell me why you would work there of all places! Money!? A guy you met!?"

Hanamura stares at the ceiling. "I… I didn't think it was like this for her. Senpai always looked like she had fun at work." He gestures around the store. "Are you telling me this is how Senpai really saw things!?"

He spots something on the counter in front of us and runs over to pick it up. It's a photo of him and Konishi. Konishi is smiling while Hanamura looks sheepish, but is also grinning. "I remember this… It was a photo we took a few months ago…" Hanamura turns the photo over, as though looking for clues. "Wonder what it's doing here…?"

"I never had the chance to say it."

Hanamura's head shoots up as does mine. There was no mistaking it; that was Konishi's voice.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"

"Me?" Hanamura whispers. "Tell me what?"

"…that he was a real pain in the ass."

Hanamura stands there stunned as Konishi continues on.

"I was only nice to him because he was the manager's son, that maybe he could me. But instead he takes it the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic." A scoff. "What a loser."

"Pain in the ass…?" Hanamura repeats, face pale.

"Who cares about Junes anyways? Because of it, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, and the neighbors talk behind my back! I wish all of it would just disappear."

Hanamura lets out a quiet gasp and steps back. The photo he was holding is now cut to pieces and on the counter is a box cutter with something dark red on the blade. Like the noose in the other room, it doesn't bode well.

"This can't be true…" Hanamura shakes his head and drops to his knees. "Senpai wasn't like that! She was nicer than this! If I was that annoying, she would've… she would've said something!" The revelation of Konishi's feelings must be taking a toll on him. I start to go over to him when someone nearby starts laughing. Someone familiar…

"It's so sad… I feel so sorry for myself!"

It is familiar! That voice… there's no mistaking it!

It's Hanamura's.

It sounds condescending and warped, but it's definitely Hanamura's voice.

Someone is stepping out of the shadows, walking towards the three of us. Teddie draws back with a whimper.

"But the truth is, I think everything here is a pain in the ass!"

Hanamura slowly turns his head towards the source of the voice. His eyes widen.

Standing in front is a near-perfect copy of him. The other Hanamura smirks.

"Right, me?"

_**==+O+==**_

Cliffhanger!

Sorry about the late update again; I had computer troubles. -_-

That, and things are starting to get a little hectic on my end.

On the bright side, I've got a new title for the story! =D


	6. Myself, Yourself

**Title: ****"Persona 4: The Fool"  
****Author: **Icewind Alchemist  
**Summary: **The last thing Rin Narukami expected when she moved to Inaba was to get involved in a murder mystery. Now with the power of Persona and others with the same abilities, she must find the culprit and stop them while saving their victims.  
**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I was not involved in the creation of Persona 4. Therefore, I don't own it. Rin and this story are another matter.  
**Rating: **T for some violence, language, and sexual content.  
**Before I begin… **Let me start this chapter with an apology.

The past few weeks have been hectic for me due to my family moving. I've been packing and shuttling things from one house to the next, with little time to work on this story.

I'm also sorry to say that I'm putting this story on short hiatus for two reasons. One, NaNoWriMo is coming up and I need to outline my novel for it. Two, looking back over what I've written I realize it's very raw. So over the next three or four weeks, when I'm not working on NaNoWriMo, I will edit these six chapters while preparing the next ones. During that time, I would really like your feedback on what you liked and what you want improved.

On to chapter 6.

_**==+O+==**_

"Myself, Yourself"

_**==+O+==**_

It's like seeing a reflection in a twisted mirror; the other Hanamura is a near-perfect copy of the real one, save for glowing yellow eyes and a dark aura around it.

"Teddie, what's going on?" I whisper.

"I don't know. I think it's a Shadow, but it doesn't look like any of the ones I've seen." Teddie whispers back.

Hanamura is standing up now, facing his double with uneasy eyes. "Who are you?" He asks, then in a stronger voice says "I would never say that."

The double sneers. "Yeah, right. You might fool others with that act, but not me." It starts talking in a mocking voice. "'I can't walk away from this. I need to know why Saki-senpai had to die.'" A snort. "Nice try! Her death was just an excuse for you to come here and get away from the boonies, even if just for a bit!"

"No, that's not true." Hanamura averts his eyes. His voice wavers as he speaks. "I meant what I said before…"

"You're sick of living out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by people who hate you because of what you're connected to." The double continues, though its smile widens. "Sure this world is dangerous, but at least it's more exciting. And who knows? Maybe you could even play hero for a little bit!"

"That's a lie!"

"Oh, I think I know a lie when I see it. You can stop the nice guy act now. I know what you really think about this town and Junes. They could all go to hell, right? You didn't ask to come all the way out here. You had to because your parents said so. So why put up with it!?"

"Shut up! I'm not like—"

The double's laughing cuts him off. "What happened to 'it's all lies!?' You're starting to realize it, aren't you? That what I'm saying is true?"

"It's bullshit!" Hanamura yells back, eyes wide with panic. "Who do you think you are, saying those things about me!?"

The double leans forward. "I'm you, your Shadow." Its eyes narrow. "There's nothing I don't know about you."

Hanamura's face darkens and he grits his teeth. "Screw that! I don't know you!" He shouts. "You're not me… you can't be me, you son of a bitch!" He glares at the Shadow, eyes blazing. Challenging it.

Instead, the Shadow stands up straight and begins to laugh. Unlike before, when it was mocking, this one is maniacal. "That's it! Say it again!" Its aura darkens and wind gathers around it, pulling at me and Teddie like a gale. "I can feel it! My power's rising!"

There's something wrong about this. Before, the Shadow seemed like it was trying to convince Hanamura that what it was saying was true. Yet now, it's goading him on.

"Wait! Hanamura, stop!" I shout.

"You're not me!" Hanamura continues to yell, unaffected by the wind and my warning. "You're nothing like me!"

The Shadow laughs again. "That's right! I'm not you anymore! I'm my own self!" It disappears into the aura, which starts to form a shape. Meanwhile the walls of the liquor store fall away like cardboard, revealing a huge stage with blue fog and giant static TVs hanging from steel beams.

The Shadow has turned into a giant frog with green camouflage skin, a huge v-shaped grin, and two glaring eyes. Riding on top it – no, growing out of it – is a black figure with huge yellow hands, star-like eyes, and a red scarf. "Now, I'll destroy everything that bores me! The store, Junes, even you!"

One hand shoots out towards Hanamura, who has only stood there staring since the Shadow transformed, with the intent of doing harm.

On instinct I leap forward and shove Hanamura to the ground while I fall on top of him. The hand grazes over my head, but it doesn't hurt. My hand closes around the tarot card I summon, calling Izanagi back out. He launches at the Shadow and uses his blade to push it back.

"Good save, Sensei!" Teddie chirps from the side, a safe distance from the battle. "This Shadow's stronger than the rest, but you can handle it!"

I ignore his words and focus on pulling Hanamura to his feet so he wouldn't get attacked again. But judging by his pale face and the difficulty in getting him to stand, he must be in shock.

"No… it's not true." He whispers. "There's no way that bastard could be me..."

"Hanamura, we have to move." I try to pull him away again. "Izanagi can't hold off the Shadow for long."

It's no use; he won't budge. And the Shadow has recovered from Izanagi's attack. It swats him away like an annoying insect.

Ignoring the echo of the jolt Izanagi received, I turn to Teddie. "Get Hanamura out of here before he gets hurt!" Then I turn to face the Shadow again, Izanagi once again hovering near me. "I'll take care of this guy."

Teddie hurries over and does his best to drag Hanamura out of the fight. But due to having less muscle than me, he has little success. So now I have to worry about two more people in this fight.

If it knocks me away, it will go after Hanamura and kill him and maybe even Teddie. If I fail…

No. I can't afford to think like that now.

I swallow and stand in front of the two of them, blocking the Shadow's path.

The Shadow turns to me. "Who do you think you are, you uppity-little bitch?" It growls at me. "You're gonna stand in my way? Fine! I'll crush you first!" It punches at me, but is blocked by Izanagi's blade.

I stare back at it, doing my best not to let it know how scared I am right now. "Good luck with that." A taunt slips from my mouth. It's going to enrage the Shadow, but I have to keep its attention on me and away from the others.

Izanagi turns the blade so that it cuts the Shadow's hand. It's a deep one, but the Shadow only grunts in pain and punches again. This time Izanagi dodges so the punch hits ground instead, flying above the Shadow's head so he can cleave through it.

The Shadow blocks the blade with its hand and swats Izanagi back. He stumbles backwards through the air and lunges at the Shadow again. His blade swings at his opponent, but meets only air when it jumps back.

"Out of my way!" The Shadow's hands form a gesture and vicious gusts of wind batter Izanagi and me. Sharp pain shoots through my head and I grasp it, unable to hold back a cry. Izanagi jerks in the air, parts of him dissolving into static like on TV, and vanishes.

"Sensei! Are you alright!?" Teddie, who is still trying to get Hanamura to safety, yells behind me.

"I'm fine…" I reach into my mind for Izanagi, but when I try to summon him he won't answer. "Something's wrong with Izanagi, though."

"It must've been the Shadow's attack!" Teddie explains. "I know Shadows are weak to certain attacks, so maybe the same applies to your Persona."

Damn it… Izanagi's out of commission? Then there's no way to fight back. Not until I can summon him again, and who knows how long that's going to take.

I grab Hanamura and help Teddie pull him away. If we can't fight, then we have to run.

"Is that all you got? Bor-ring!" The Shadow laughs. Before I can turn around someone grabs my arm and yanks me to the right, away from another blow aimed at me.

Hanamura, who must've finally snapped out of his shock, releases my arm. "You okay, Narukami?" He asks. Breathing hard, I can only nod.

"Still trying to play the nice guy?" The Shadow's sneer makes Hanamura flinch. "When are you going to learn it won't fool anyone? All you do is get on people's nerves, but as long as it boosts your ego you don't care."

Hanamura grips his head and shakes it. "Stop it! You don't know me!"

I try to pull him away again. This time I don't meet as much resistance. Thank God; at least I won't have to struggle to get him to move. "To the exit. Let's go!" I whisper to Hanamura and Teddie. "The Shadow is huge, so maybe it moves around slowly. If we can get out of its range and find a place to hide, we can wait until Izanagi returns."

We're making our way towards an exit when the Shadow jumps and lands in front of us. "Where do you think you're going!? The fun's just begun!" Its hand lashes out and backhands us back towards the stage.

I fly backwards through the air and tumble across the ground. My body aches with each impact I make and every place that made contact with the ground continues to throb with pain. It's work to sit up, but at least nothing is broken. Nothing I can tell, at least.

Teddie, who landed to my left, lets out a cry. "Sensei! The Shadows are reacting to this one!" I look around and see dark splotches gathering, all of them inching towards the larger Shadow. "If you don't stop it soon, things will get beary awful!"

"But without Izanagi I can't fight." I argue. "How do I defeat it?"

"I don't know! The Shadow's growing stronger every second!"

So what's giving the Shadow strength? The smaller ones around us? The fog?

"_That's it! Say it again!"_

"_You're not me!"_

Wait. That means—

"You only act cheerful and helpful because you're terrified of being alone." The Shadow continues speaking, though at least it's not attacking at the moment. Hanamura, who's curled into a tight ball on the ground, tries to cover his ears to block out the Shadow's words. But judging by the pained look on his face, it's not working. "Even if you're surrounded by people who hate you, anything's better than the pain of isolation. That's the reason you asked your precious Senpai out, right?"

"You're wrong!" Hanamura yells, uncurling from his position and standing up. "Everything you said is wrong!" The Shadow begins to laugh and crouches to jump again. "There's no way… There's no way I'm like that!"

The Shadow launches into the air towards Hanamura. When it lands, I won't be able to stop it on my own.

But I still run towards them while focusing on my other half.

Come on, Izanagi… I need you to answer me. Right now, I need your strength. I need you here with me, fighting by my side. This isn't something I can do on my own. Come back to me, Izanagi, or we'll both end up hurt.

Relief floods through me as the card appears in my hand again and breaks when I close my fingers around it. Izanagi returns to my side for a brief moment before flying off to meet the Shadow in mid-air. He pushes it backwards with his blade so it falls back to the ground in a twisted heap.

At the same time, I punch Hanamura in the face.

I'm not that strong, but maybe because I caught him off guard he stumbles backwards before righting himself. His hand goes to the spot that was hit and he stares at me, still taking in what just happened. "Wha… What was that for?"

"I need you to stop moping and pay attention to what's going on!" I wave a hand over to where the Shadow lies, flailing about as it tries to stand back up. "Your words are making it stronger. At this rate, it will kill us all. Is that what you want?"

Hanamura shakes his head. "Of course not! That would be…" He trails off as his eyes look over to where I gestured to.

Teddie, who is standing off to the side, speaks up. "The Shadow came from you, Yosuke. It will keep going berserk the longer you deny it until it kills you." His eyes turn down. "Like what happened with the others."

Both of us look at Teddie with surprise. Well, he did mention that Shadows became violent when the fog cleared. And this fight, along with the one before, is enough proof that they weren't harmless.

Despite the revelation, Hanamura doesn't say anything. He looks down at the ground and bites his bottom lip. I guess it's natural for someone to be reluctant about accepting their worst traits, especially when revealed in front of others. Not even the threat of death is enough.

Maybe I should try something else.

"About Konishi-senpai… you really liked her, right?"

Hanamura looks up at me. "Huh? What's this about?"

"I mean when you asked her out. That was because you liked her?"

Hanamura is silent for a moment before he smiles and nods. "I did." The smile fades. "With everyone else, I act the way I do 'cause I want to be liked. I wouldn't be surprised if they found me annoying. Hell, I think I am a pain in the ass sometimes." He goes through his pocket and pulls out the movie tickets he bought for Konishi. "Maybe part of the reason I asked Saki-senpai out was for selfish reasons. But I still love her. That's real, at least."

"Then that proves it." Hanamura and I look over at the Shadow. "It may be born from you, be part of you, but it doesn't define who you are. You're still yourself."

Hanamura stares at me for a moment. "Myself, huh?" He lets out a sigh before turning back towards the Shadow. "Dammit, it hurts to face yourself."

The Shadow managed to untangle its limbs and is now standing. It stomps towards Hanamura, who walks towards it. "I knew you weren't lying, but I didn't want to admit anything you said was true." The Shadow draws back a fist, preparing to strike its host down. "You're right, about everything I said."

The fist stops a meter away from Hanamura. The Shadow draws back and begins to flail about again. "You…! What the hell is this!?" Static forms on it, like it did with Izanagi before. "Damn you! Damn you to Hell!"

"Sensei! It's weakening!" Teddie shouts. "Now's your chance to finish it off!"

"Right." I concentrate on Izanagi. Heat fills my body and a there's a tingling sensation like static on my skin as power builds up inside both of us.

It's released as a strike of lightning cutting through the Shadow. Bright light and thunder fills the stage for a moment with the Shadow's silhouette as a stark contrast. When the light and sound fades away all that's left is the Shadow, returned to human form. It collapses to the ground, exhausted.

Hanamura walks over to the Shadow and crouches down before it, putting a hand on its shoulder. It looks up with weary yellow eyes.

"You're me and I'm you." Hanamura says. At those words, the Shadow smiles. Not a sneer or a maniacal grin, but a peaceful smile. It closes its eyes and begins to glow blue until it disappears into the light.

There's more wind, but this one is more gentle than before. Inside the blue light a figure materializes; a lanky form wearing a white suit trimmed with a camo pattern. On its hands are large four-pointed stars. Like the Shadow it once was, the figure has a black head with stars for eyes, two eye stalks similar to a frog's, a V-shaped chest piece like a toothy grin, and a red scarf that waves in the breeze.

The figure disappears and is replaced by a glowing card that floats down to Hanamura. It stops inside his outstretched hands.

"This is my Persona…" he murmurs, moving the card to his heart and letting it inside him. He falls to one knee. "When we heard Senpai's voice, I wonder if that was something she had been keeping deep down inside. 'He was a real pain in the ass,' huh?" He lets out a short, self-depreciating laugh, and then he turns to me. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what would've happened. Thanks, Narukami."

"We should stop investigating for today." Teddie says while looking at Hanamura. "This world is harder on humans. Plus, that fight was exhausting."

"Agreed." I help Hanamura up. "We can discuss what we know on the way back."

The three of us don't speak until we're away from where the liquor store once stood.

"Hey Teddie, about what happened back there…" Hanamura starts. "You mentioned that happened to the announcer and Saki-senpai."

Teddie nods. "Like I said before, the fog clears up here sometimes and the Shadows go berserk. A strong-willed one gathers others to it and kills its host."

"And the fog clears up here when it gets foggy on our side." Hanamura continues. "So that must be why the bodies showed up with the fog." He's quiet for a bit before asking another question. "What about what you said? About the shopping district being reality for Senpai. Did it form because she entered this world?"

"To be honest, I'm not too sure." Teddie admits. "It's probably where she was when she was killed.

"So Konishi-Senpai and Yamano were thrown in by someone with the same power as me." I sort out what we have so far. "Without any way out, seeing as you're the only one who can create an exit, they wandered around until their Shadows came out. Once the fog lifted here, they went berserk and killed them."

"Good thing I wasn't here when that happened." Hanamura says. "If it weren't for you two…" He stops, his eyes lighting up. "Wait. Teddie, before the fog lifted they were okay, right?"

"They were probably feeling the effects of the fog, but the Shadows didn't bother them." Teddie says. "Shadows don't attack unless they're going berserk." He thinks for a moment. "Or if they feel threatened by someone, like they were with Sensei."

I began to realize what Hanamura was thinking. "So that means we can save whoever else gets thrown in here before that happens."

"Right. The three of us can save the next victim." Hanamura smiles. "And in the meantime we can find the culprit."

We're back at the place Hanamura and I came in. Teddie goes in front of us and stamps his foot twice to summon the stack of TVs.

"First we need to check and make sure there's no one looking." Hanamura begins to cautiously stick his head into one of the TVs. "Don't want anyone to freak out when we exit—" He lets out a yelp as both of us are pushed from behind by Teddie.

"Okay! Go go go! Squiiish!"

"Hey! Stop squeezing you little—Whoa!"

Hanamura and I tumble onto the floor of the Junes electronics department. We're starting to get our bearings when the sound of someone crying draws attention to in front of us.

Satonaka, still holding onto the severed rope, has tears running down her face. "You guys… you guys are back!" She sobs.

"Satonaka, are you okay?" Hanamura asks. He gets a rope thrown at his face as an answer. "Ow! What the hell!?"

"That's what you deserve, you jerk! All of this was your stupid idea!" Satonaka yells while wiping tears from her eyes. "Your 'lifeline' snapped as soon as the two of you entered the TV and I didn't know what to do. I was so worried… I mean scared, dammit! And all you can ask is if I'm okay!? You're the worst!"

"Sorry, Satonaka…" Hanamura scratches the back of his head and looks over at me. "Maybe we should've gotten Teddie to let us out before investigating."

"Yeah." I bow in Satonaka's direction. "I apologize for what happened. We got caught up."

"…ten orders of steak." Satonaka mutters. When neither Hanamura or I answer, she repeats it louder.

"I think that's how she wants us to say sorry." Hanamura says to me, then says to Satonaka "Alright. Narukami and I will get you steak!"

"Narukami-chan's getting me nikudon."

"Guess you're taking care of the steak." I take my glasses of and hook them over my collar to keep them safe. "Satonaka, if we get you steak and nikudon tomorrow will you forgive us?"

"Fine." Satonaka sniffs and stands up. "You're not going back in there, right?"

Hanamura and I exchange looks. Should we tell Satonaka what we promised Teddie? I don't want to lie to her, but she's emotionally exhausted right now. It may be better to save the information for later.

"Not today." I answer. "We'll tell you more tomorrow."

She accepts this answer and leaves. Hanamura, who's still exhausted from today's events, also heads home.

I stand outside Junes, staring up into the grey sky as rain fell. Igor's words are coming back to me.

"_It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination and a great mystery will be thrust upon you."_

So this was what Igor meant, huh?

"Bring it."

_**==+O+==**_

Yeah, this chapter's kinda rushed. But I didn't want to start a hiatus with a cliffhanger. And like I said in my notes before, I'll revise this when I have time.

To close this chapter before the hiatus, I want to thank Knowledgeseeker66 for his/her (I'm sorry, I don't know your gender! QAQ ) feedback, which help me figure out Rin more while also giving me the self-esteem boost I need to keep writing.

I also want to thank El-Poofy for her review and promotion. Sadly, I haven't had time to read your stories yet, but when I get free time I'll check them out. If I find one I like, I'll be sure to recommend it in future chapters.


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